On the 20th anniversary of pop singer Aaliyah’s death, news has surfaced that she was coerced into a sham marriage with disgraced hip-hop artist R. Kelly.
Aaliyah — whose real name is Aaliyah Dana Haughton — passed away in a tragic airplane accident at the tender age of 22 in 2001, with a still-sprouting career having already made her famous.
Robert Kelly, 54, helped bring the rising star to fame by producing her first album, disturbingly titled “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number.” It debuted in 1994; Aaliyah was 15-years-old at the time, Kelly was her superior by over a decade at 27.
Kelly is on trial facing multiple severe charges, including several counts of sex trafficking and sex with a minor — Aaliyah included.
One of his former tour managers, Demetrius Smith, testified that he paid a government worker a $500 bribe to issue fake identification for Aaliyah. Kelly needed to prove that Aaliyah was old enough to marry. He went to Smith for help.
Smith was forced to testify against his will, even though he had previously been given immunity from future charges.
He explained to a jury how the singer rushed to him on a 1994 tour and said, “Aaliyah is in trouble. We need to get home.” Kelly had become intimate with the teen Aaliyah and thought she had become pregnant. He said he told Kelly, “I know how to get her an ID.”
He approached an employee who was taking ID pictures one day at a Chicago-area welfare office. He took advantage of the situation, knowing that the employee was almost sure to take a bribe that would likely equate to more than a day’s work at the welfare office.
The welfare card was one of two fake IDs used to secure the marriage. The 1994 marriage license was introduced into evidence and lists Aaliyah’s age as 18.
The marriage was short-lived and annulled in less than six months. An ex-girlfriend claims Aaliyah was pregnant, and the marriage was annulled shortly after Aaliyah had an abortion.
Prosecutors say Kelly wanted to use the marriage to protect himself from criminal charges related to having sex with a minor and that it would be enough to prevent her from testifying against him.
If these actions happened, then one can only see how Kelly committed a heinous act.
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